Students that are interested in eating a Thanksgiving dinner with their families away from home can do so at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Taylor dining hall and 5 p.m. at Thomas dining hall.

The annual Thanksgiving Dinner will include a traditional holiday menu for students to eat, such as turkey breast, black oak ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, maple & brown sugar sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, holiday salads and rolls.

Mark Hudson, the director of Housing and Dining Services, said “(The Thanksgiving Dinner) is hosted to give students an opportunity to celebrate with their EIU friends.”

Students with a sweet tooth can also choose from two different kinds of pie: pecan and pumpkin.

The menu served at each Thanksgiving Dinner typically remains the same, staying true to the traditional dinner served for the holiday of giving thanks, said Hudson.

Hudson said this dinner, which is usually well attended, has been hosted for many years, and is a student favorite.

“Employees who have been here 25 years say we have ‘always’ done this,” Hudson said.

Students who attend this dinner might be coming out for the first time, but Hudson said there are always students that attend the dinner each year of their college career because it’s “special” to them.

Hudson said he hopes to see a great turnout, since this annual “festive” Thanksgiving Dinner is an opportunity for students to enjoy the company of their friends and peers.

Housing and dining services is told often by students that this is the event of the year, Hudson said.

To attend the annual Thanksgiving dinner at Taylor or Thomas dining halls, students would have to use a meal swipe, or pay $7.25 of their dining dollars.

Students can also use cash, but will have to pay $10. There also will not be any to-go meals available, since the dinner takes more time to prepare than a typical dinner served during the semester, Hudson said.

Lynnsey Veach can be reached at 581-2812 or at lmveach@eiu.edu